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“Leave the football before the football leaves you.” The meme-baiting quote from Jamie Carragher hung heavy over Casemiro for a long while, but it is testament to the Brazilian’s character and durability that he will leave Manchester United this year on his own terms, two years after those infamous words from the former Liverpool player.
In fairness to Carragher, context at the time was key. After United were hammered 4-0 by Crystal Palace in May 2024, Casemiro looked spent at the elite level, bypassed too easily in increasingly fast‑tempo matches and left for dead by Erik ten Hag’s high-risk tactics.
Casemiro could have taken the easy route out to the Saudi Pro League – it was hardly like he had anything to prove given his impressive medal collection. Back then it seemed United would do almost anything to offload him; now it is clear that replacing him will be the club’s trickiest summer task, another challenge for Jason Wilcox and company.
Late-era Casemiro – he turns 34 this month – added discipline to his game and became wary of his weaknesses when exposed against runners through the middle. He was happy to sit deep and use his remarkable ability to read the play, ready to time those trademark tackles and release more energetic midfield partners. Aerially, he remained a colossus in both penalty boxes. United managers did not always get the midfield structure right around him – not least Ten Hag – but the former Real Madrid linchpin got on with his job without making a fuss.
Filling the Casemiro void will be expensive for United, even if removing his significant wages offers financial relief. The club have made clear that overhauling their midfield is a top transfer priority, after 2025 was spent restructuring the attack with about £200m splashed on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko. Of the current crop of midfielders, only Kobbie Mainoo appears locked in for next season. Bruno Fernandes is still coveted by clubs in Saudi Arabia, and Manuel Ugarte’s difficult adaptation to English football leaves the exit door open should United receive a sufficient bid. United may need to sign two or three midfielders, but a specialist defensive pivot will be top of the list.
Carlos Baleba fits that profile. United explored a deal last summer but were deterred by Brighton’s valuation, north of £100m. After a slow start to the season, the Cameroonian is reaffirming his reputation as one of the league’s best talents outside the traditional big six and he could be pursued once again. At 22 and with the defensive and physical attributes to slot into the Casemiro role, he remains an attractive proposition.
Elliot Anderson will have no shortage of suitors this summer thanks to his performances for Nottingham Forest and his rise into Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice England lineup. The 23‑year‑old could feasibly act as a more energetic and progressive version of Casemiro; he possesses the engine and passing game to play in an elite midfield, but a stumbling block could be Forest’s valuation of one of their prize assets. Evangelos Marinakis will rightly demand top dollar for Anderson, if he chooses to sell at all.
Something similar can be said for Crystal Palace and Adam Wharton, though the recent Selhurst Park fire sale perhaps weakens the Eagles’ negotiating position. Wharton may feel he is due a transfer in the same way Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guéhi were granted dream moves. As a Blackburn lad, he has links to the north-west so many expect a bunfight between United and City for his signature.
Stylistically, however, Wharton poses a dilemma. He would perhaps need a destroyer alongside him because he is primarily a distributor, a natural risk-taker in possession. He has thrived playing next to the workhorse Will Hughes at Palace. Would Wharton and Mainoo complement each other as a pairing?
Alternatives include bringing Rúben Neves back to the Premier League after a three‑year sojourn with Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, or taking a punt on Stuttgart’s highly rated Angelo Stiller. Neither player is an ideal fit given United’s preference for players in their early to mid-20s who have cut the mustard in the English top flight. Neves has done so at Wolves, albeit not recently, but will turn 29 in March. Stiller, 24, may be regarded as an unknown quantity owing to his lack of Premier League experience. The Bournemouth pair Tyler Adams and Alex Scott, 26 and 22 respectively, fit United’s criteria but are not names to truly excite the fanbase.
The caveat is what a new permanent manager, if appointed in the summer, would demand. Ruben Amorim’s departure came on the back of an altercation with United’s hierarchy over transfer control; presumably a new man will have his own thoughts on his side’s midfield structure, which United would be wise to heed.
Michael Carrick has favoured 4‑2‑3‑1 with Mainoo alongside Casemiro. Will his successor, assuming Carrick does not land the role permanently, require a similar balance in midfield? As with so many questions around United right now, they must find the answer this summer.
